Improvement in protecting buildings from fire



(-4 WILLIAM 0Q BAKER. Improvement in Protecting Buildings from F ir.

No. 122,350. Fi .7. PatentedJ3n .2,18]2

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UNITED STATES WILLIAM D. BAKER, OF EAST ABINGTON, MASSACHUSETTS.-

IMPROVEMENT IN PROTECTING BUILDINGS FROM FIRE.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 122,350, dated J annary2,1872.

2 a section of two buildings connected by a party-wall provided with myimprovement.

The nature or principle of my invention consists in providing theparty-wall or partition between the two houses or buildings with a thinor narrow chamber or chambers ,to extend from the bottom to or nearly tothe top of such wall or partition, and providing; such chamber, at itslower part, with an induct, and at its upper part, when it may projectabove the roof of eachor either of the buildings, with one or a seriesof educts or holes, so arranged asto cause water, when escaping fromsuch hole or holes at or near the top of the partition, to flow, outupon either or both of the roofs. The induct is for the purpose ofenabling a hose from a water-main or from a force pump or engine to beso applied to a wall or partition as to enable water through such hoseand induct to be injected into thehollow partition or party wall so asto fill'it and flow or be discharged out of the opening or. openings atthe top of the said partition or wall.

The hollow partition or wall may be con- 1 structed of iron or otherproper material, and

may have in it a single chamber or a series of them communicating witheach other by means of one or more passages or pipes to lead from oneinto the other, the same being so that water on being poured into theinduct shall, under a suitable head or pressure, be caused to flow intoand fill or nearly fill the chamber or chambers and finally escape or bedriven out of the opening or openings at the upper part of suchpartition so as to fall and run down or spread upon and wet the nextadjacent roof or roofs.

When two buildings are thus provided with a water-tight hollow partitionarranged between them and provided with an induct and educt or eductsdisposed as described, it will be evident that so long as the space orspaces in the partition may be filled with water no fire, while in onebuilding, can pass through the partition to the other, and that byforcing water into the partition at its lower part and discharging it atits top upon either or each roof, such roof may be protected from anyfire that may fall or strike upon the upper surface of the roof.

In cities or towns provided with waterworks for distribution of waterunder pressure through pipes laid in the streets my invention will be ofmuch value, as with it when either of the buildings provided with it maybe on fire the other can readily be rendered lire-proof or be protectedfrom fire passing into it through the party wall or partition by simplyconnecting the partition at its induct with one of the mains of thewater-works and suffering the water therefrom to pass under head orpressure into the partition and fill it, or fill it and flow or bedischarged out of it at top, as set forth.

111 the drawing, A denotes the hollow partition; B O, the two buildingsbetween which such partition is situated; a, the induct; and p I), theeduct of the partition; and 0 and d are the roofs of such buildings.

In constructing buildings with my invention I would remark that theirfront and rear walls may be made hollow or be provided with chambers tohold waterpin emergency; but this I do not deem necessary as with theparting walls made hollow and with inducts and educts, arranged as setforth, there will be little if any danger of fire being communicatedfrom onebuildin g to the next, or of 'the roof of the latter being setfire to by sparks or cinders falling upon it from the building on fire.

I claim as my invention- The arrangement and combination of thewater-space chamber or chambers and the induct and educt thereof withtwo buildings, and either or both the roofs of the same, all beingsubstantially as and for the purpose, and to operate as specified. I

WILLIAM D. BAKER.

Witnesses:

R. H. EDDY,

PATENT OFFICE.

